Colin Sylvia Biography

Colin Sylvia is tragically killed in a car crash near Mildura.

Melbourne CEO Gary Pert passed on his condolences to the Sylvia family, teammates and colleagues.

"On behalf of the Melbourne Football Club, I would like to express my deepest compassion to the Sylvia family," Pert told Melbourne Media.

"Our thoughts are with those closest to Colin, his teammates and the extended Melbourne faithful at this very difficult time."

Fremantle president Dale Alcock said the club was saddened to learn about the passing of Sylvia.

"On behalf of the players, coaches, staff and board of the Fremantle Football Club, we extend our deepest sympathy to Colin’s family and friends," he said.

Former Melbourne and Fremantle midfielder Colin Sylvia received hospital treatment after suffering a neck injury in an apparent balcony fall.

The 31-year-old posted a photo of himself on Instagram wearing a neck brace and detailed the extent of his injuries.

"Not ideal start to the weekend... Very lucky your (sic) not supposed to fall off balconys (sic) apparently!"

"I’d have to agree — fractured my neck and bleeding to the brain. Extremely lucky. Doing a great job the team down here at the Alfred (Hospital). Be careful and stay safe everyone."

Colin Sylvia is awarded life membership of the Demons.

"I came in as a young boy from the country; probably pretty uneducated – people would probably argue I still am,” Sylvia said.

"I turned from a boy into a man. It taught me a lot, especially moving from a small country town like Merbein (in country Victoria).

"I’ve got many great memories – lots of ups and lots of downs and that’s footy - it’s a bit of rollercoaster ride.

Sylvia said he understood why people would be disappointed with how his career panned out.

"I feel proud to still achieve what I did,” he said.

"I think there were some really good moments in my career and it would have been nice if there were some more of those games, but unfortunately there wasn’t, so you’ve just got to deal with the reality and keep moving forward."

Dumped Fremantle player Colin Sylvia will return to Dockers colours on Saturday when he lines up for the Templestowe Dockers in the Eastern Football League.

Templestowe coach Rick Irwin said the local community was getting behind Sylvia's appearance.

"I'm really looking forward to having him on board," Irwin said.

"It's certainly created a little bit of hype."

Lee Spurr says former Fremantle teammate Colin Sylvia's fall from grace has underlined that work ethic, not reputation, is what's valued at the club.

"Colin was certainly a talent," Spurr said.

"He was a high-round draft pick.

"He came here and we have high expectations on everyone at our club to perform to standards. Draft picks mean nothing. You've got to come in and get to work and unfortunately for Colin it didn't work out."

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon admits he has not had much contact with Colin Sylvia since his exile from the club.

"We always see possibility in people. He's got strong resources wrapped around him with his duty of care coach, his individual coach," Lyon said.

"The conditioners are in contact with him every day. He certainly just hasn't been cut free. But I have limited contact to be truthful."

Colin Sylvia's AFL career is over after the Fremantle midfielder agreed with the club that he should depart immediately.

Fremantle football operations manager Chris Bond fronted the media on Tuesday afternoon following the release of a club statement confirming Sylvia's retirement.

Sylvia was not in attendance.

"It was really between both parties. No one really instigated it," Bond said.

"There was regular discussions all along with his management, Colin and myself and obviously then discussing that with key people in the club as well."

Bond said that Sylvia was ultimately unable to meet the standards required by the team.

"That's fact. That's absolute fact. That's the reason Colin went down to Peel and he was aware of that and in discussions he was really honest with that as well," Bond said.

"From our point of view it wasn't at the level that was required and really, we needed Colin's actions to speak, and he wasn't able to do that."

Colin Sylvia's road back to AFL football has hit a hurdle after he was ruled out of playing in the WAFL this week due to concussion.

"Unfortunately he sustained a knock last weekend and was concussed," a Fremantle spokesman said.

"He has had follow-up tests this week, which he has failed and as a result is not available for selection."

Nat Fyfe says Dockers teammate Colin Sylvia has a lot of work to do if he wants to continue his football career at Fremantle.

"He's got a strict set of guidelines and a real pathway to try and get back to our footy club," Fyfe said.

"And he needs to deliver on those actions if he wants to continue his footy career.

"I believe he's played a couple of (WAFL) practice games and had a little bit of a niggle with injury. But basically until he's back at the club helping us win games of footy, he's got a lot of work to do."

Peel Thunder coach Cam Shepherd says the club has received no indication of when Sylvia would return to the Fremantle fold, but he was pleased with the way the ex-Demon had approached training.

"He's been training really strongly. We expect him to have an impact and work his way through," Shepherd said.

"We would like to help and work with Colin and the other development coaches at Fremantle to get him back up at senior level.

"In relation to what he has brought to the table, we're a very young squad, so we recognise any development is helped with some senior players around.

"In that regard his knowledge has been good."

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has warned against comparing Colin Sylvia being banished to the WAFL with the experience Michael Walters went through in 2012.

"There's only one common thread there and that's they both went back to a WAFL club after a sustained period of not conforming to the standard," Lyon said.

"Michael was a young player, he had to work through some off-field stuff … but he could end up captaining this club. He's a great trainer and a great leader.

"Col came over as a 10-year mature age free agent, so the expectations were a little bit higher on Col.

"Not by standards but in the ability to be able to do it straight away. So he's faced some challenges. We haven't withdrawn support, we've just put in front of Col what he needs to do … it's possible he could be back."

Fremantle CEO Steve Rosich says there's nothing set in stone for when Colin Sylvia will return to the side.

"Colin is fully aware of why that decision has been made with his agreement and he's fully aware of what is required to get back into the main squad," Rosich said.

"That sits pretty comfortable with him in terms of the challenge that it is to do that. We're really positive that he's going to give himself the best chance of doing that. We haven't set any timeframes on that."

Dockers coach Ross Lyon says out-of-shape midfielder Colin Sylvia was banished to WAFL club Peel Thunder due to consistently failing to meet physical standards set by the club.

"We supported Colin, mapped out programs, gave him every resource and again, to cut a long story short, he came back in really poor condition again," Lyon said.

"He wasn't able to complete the first time-trial when he arrived and 12 months later off the eight-week break (this pre-season) he still couldn't … well, he completed it but at the bottom end of the list.

"Then post-Christmas he was unable to complete it. So we wrapped some parameters around for Col and gave him some skin-folds and times that he needed to meet and there was plenty of time to do that.

"We had the 3km time-trial yesterday (Thursday) and it was really – for where he's at – it wasn't at a level."

Colin Sylvia's career is in jeopardy following Fremantle's decision to send the wayward midfielder to train with WAFL club Peel Thunder.

Fremantle football manager Chris Bond said Sylvia had failed to meet the standards expected by the club.

"We will continue to work closely with Colin, but he now has the opportunity to go to Peel Thunder and focus on getting himself back to the level required to play in the AFL," Bond said.

Colin Sylvia faces another hurdle as he fights to resurrect his AFL career, with the Fremantle recruit facing a delayed start to his pre-season due to post-season ankle surgery.

"(Sylvia) had an ankle impingement that was affecting his soft tissue because of range of movement," Fremantle coach Ross Lyon said.

"They (surgeons) removed what they needed to free up the range of movement. He'll take a little while to get going but we're optimistic he'll be in full training post-Christmas."

Colin Sylvia impresses his coach and peers during his debut for Fremantle as a substitute.

"He earned his spot and he played. His output was solid," Fremantle coach Ross Lyon said.

"The players are giving him good feedback. They liked his effort. I wouldn't have thought we'll be sending him back to the WAFL."

After a patchy start to his career as a Docker due to injuries and suspension, Colin Sylvia is expected to make significant contribution to Fremantle in the upcoming weeks.

"He's had some interruptions and the suspension didn't help but he played on the weekend," Fremantle coach Ross Lyon told Channel Seven's Talking Footy.

"The two-week suspension allowed us to punch in some significant kilometres into him to bring his fitness up a little bit.

"We're really looking for him to make a move in the next two to three weeks and really give us some impetus in relation to the rest of the season."

Fremantle coach Ross Lyon has blasted Hayden Ballantyne, saying the Fremantle forward's undisciplined act against the Swans puts him "in the Colin Sylvia basket".

Ballantyne faces a one-match suspension after he was cited by the Match Review Panel for two incidents during the Dockers' loss to the Sydney Swans.

The small forward was charged with striking and kneeing offences against Swans defender Rhyce Shaw.

"(It's) disappointing, undisciplined," Lyon said.

"It's cost Hayden and the team. So he sits in the Colin Sylvia basket. He's let himself down first and the team."

Colin Sylvia's hopes of earning his Fremantle debut will have to wait at least another fortnight after the former Demon's suspension by the WAFL Tribunal.

Sylvia was found guilty of rough conduct on Tuesday night for his off-the-ball strike on Subiaco's Brett Mahoney.

On Monday following the charge, Fremantle coach Ross Lyon went on radio and slammed his new recruit for a "lack of discipline".

"It's the last thing Colin and the club need, there's no doubt about that. We've got some injury worries and he was actually building some pretty good form," Lyon said.

"It's a significant hurdle he's put in front of himself and the club. I'm certainly not pleased but at the end of the day life goes on and we'll pick those that are available."

Colin Sylvia has been placed on a managed workload since arriving at Fremantle as the Dockers' fitness staff get him acclimatised to the strength and conditioning program.

"Col's been doing a bit of his own work one-on-one with a few of the coaches," teammate Hayden Ballantyne said.

"He hasn't trained too much with us. He's working through some fitness stuff with the coaches. But obviously he's a very skilled player and he'll contribute really well for us."

Fremantle recruit Colin Sylvia says he believes a fresh start at the Dockers can bring out the best in him.

"I don't feel like I've reached my potential yet so that's all ahead of me," Sylvia said.

"I'd like to play some more consistent footy. I think I had a pretty consistent year (in 2013) without any real breakout games but I think playing with a football club like Fremantle, they demand excellence and hopefully they can take me to the next level."

Hawthorn and Melbourne receive picks No. 19 and 23 respectively as compensation picks for the loss of free agents Lance Franklin and Colin Sylvia respectively.

Colin Sylvia is officially a Docker after Fremantle lodged paperwork with the AFL on Friday, making the former Demon one of the first 2013 free agents to officially switch clubs.

Unrestricted free agent Colin Sylvia has nominated Fremantle as his preferred club, with the Dockers set to lodge paperwork with the AFL for a three-year deal when the Gillette Trade and Free Agency Period opens on Friday.

"This is the hardest decision I've made in my footy career to leave a club after 10 years," Sylvia said.

"The Melbourne Football Club will always be in my heart. It has made me who I am today and I thank for them for that.

"I would also like to thank my teammates over my journey at the club and the Melbourne supporters, they have been great for me and it's really sad to leave."

Fremantle has emerged as the most likely destination for Melbourne's unrestricted free agent Colin Sylvia if he chooses to leave the Demons.

Melbourne have offered Colin Sylvia a new contract. The 27-year-old is overseas and yet to commit to the Demons, who have declared they want him to stay.

"Col has been offered a deal from us - we're obviously very keen to keep Col, he's got all the information from us and he has a deal on the table," football operations manager Josh Mahoney told SEN radio.

"He's overseas at the moment and he's taking his time and we hope we get a decision in the not too distant future."

Unrestricted free agent Colin Sylvia says he hopes he can finish career with Demons.

"I've been at the club 10 years, a life member, it has been a pretty big part of my life," Sylvia said.

"I'd like to stay. Hopefully [the] two parties can agree on a deal."

Media reports have linked Demons Jack Watts, James Frawley and Colin Sylvia to other clubs but Melbourne coach Mark Neeld says they are required players at the club.

"They're certainly required players here and we'll do what we can to keep them here, absolutely," Neeld said.

"Those three guys, they're good players, and I can understand why all 18 list management groups would be discussing all players out of contract."

Melbourne midfielder Colin Sylvia will miss up to six weeks after injuring his back in a clash with Port's John Butcher who was reported for rough conduct.

"Col's in a bit of pain," Sylvia's manager Tom Petroro said.

"But the good news is he's feeling positive and it could have been a lot worse. Fingers crossed with next week's break and a four to six week injury, he could be back playing in round four or five."

Colin Sylvia will miss the Demons' round one game against the Brisbane Lions after being suspended and fined by his club for his involvement in a car accident.

"Firstly, the club confirmed to Colin that drinking the night prior to training and going into camp with the Australian IRS team is not acceptable for a professional footballer representing the Melbourne Football Club," a statement from the Demons read.

"Secondly, Colin breached club protocols that have been clearly articulated to our playing group by not immediately making the club aware of the fact that he had been involved in an incident, in this case a serious accident that resulted in significant property damage. He did not contact the club for a number of hours later, by which time the club had already been contacted by police investigating the accident.

"Finally, Colin showed poor judgement by leaving the scene of the accident and not dealing with the matter in a manner expected of an experienced AFL player."

Rodney Eade says Colin Sylvia had to be dropped for Australia's International Rules series against Ireland after fleeing the scene of an accident following a boozy night out.

"There was no hesitation from us in saying we'd just go with the 23 we've got at the moment," Eade said.

"From a purely football point of view it's not ideal to be drinking on the night before you go into camp. As far as leaving the scene (of the accident), that's probably more of a moral issue than anything else."

Police interview Colin Sylvia after he was involved in a car accident. The Melbourne star is dumped from the Australian squad to face Ireland in the international rules series as a result of the enquiry.

"AFL and Australian team management have determined that Colin Sylvia will not join the team for IRS series against Ireland," AFL spokesman Patrick Keane said.

"It was [the AFL's] view that his preparation for series was not appropriate and he should not join the team. [The Australian] squad will now stand at 23 players."

Colin Sylvia has re-signed with Demons, extending his contract with the club until the end of 2013.

"I always saw my future at Melbourne, we're building towards something special and I want to play a big part in that," Sylvia said.

"The club has been really supportive of me since I arrived and I want to repay that faith."

Colin Sylvia says he "definitely" wants to stay at Melbourne beyond 2011 and repay the club for its faith.

"Yeah, I definitely wanted to stay with the Dees," Sylvia said.

"We've been in talks and that will all take care of itself. They've been very good to me and showed a lot of faith and patience with me."

Sylvia also says being dropped from the side after a 186-point thrashing at the hands of Geelong allowed him to work on areas of his game that needed improvement.

"Hopefully I can look back and really draw something positive from it and maybe look back and think that was the best thing that could have happened to me," he said.

"I had to work on a few areas of my game defensively and probably work on my positioning with a few structures and set ups. I went back to Casey and played my role and did quite a good job of that and got the call up the next week [against West Coast]."

Melbourne caretaker coach Todd Viney is confident wavering midfielder Colin Sylvia will re-commit to the Demons.

"Colin is like red wine, he's getting better with age," Viney said.

"He had a really interrupted early part of his career and there are games he tears it up and those he would go quiet. He had to iron those out, but I see him staying. I think he's a Melbourne person and he wants to see through some of the tough times he has been through."

Out-of-contract midfielder Colin Sylvia is surprisingly dropped from the Demons' senior side and his manager Tom Petroro says talks are still ongoing with Melbourne's list manager Tim Harrington regarding a new deal.

"As this stage Colin really wants to concentrate on continuing to play well consistently and pushing himself to be a leader, so Tim and I will continue those discussions," Petroro said.

Melbourne players Ricky Petterd, Brad Green, Colin Sylvia, James Frawley, Nathan Jones, and Jack Watts may be questioned by the AFL after using twitter to express their frustrations at teammate Jack Trengove being suspended for three weeks after a reckless tackle on Crow Patrick Dangerfield.

Melbourne midfielder Colin Sylvia says he wishes he had his time over again after witnessing the dedication of his younger teammates Jack Trengove and Tom Scully.

"If I could have anything again, it would be the first three or four years at the club," Sylvia said.

"The impact those two boys have made and the kids that they are, how dedicated they are ... they tick all the boxes.

"If I was half the kid they are, I would have been such a better footballer. It's time lost for me and time wasted in a way."

A win in his return from injury against the Bombers has Melbourne midfielder-forward, Colin Sylvia looking further into the season and even to a possible finals tilt.

"It's been a bit of a frustrating year for me individually, but that's footy," he said.

"It's good to be out there and contributing and coming away with a really good win - I'm looking forward to the next seven weeks, really enjoy my football and notch up a few more wins."

Melbourne midfielder Colin Sylvia said he came close to losing his toe before begin admitted to hospital.

"In the long run, if I kept going, at that stage there was no blood flow going through - the toe could have possibly died," Sylvia said.

"No surgery at all, all I've had is this nice trolley here for the last three days, hanging onto me closely, showering with it. I've got to know it well."

Melbourne on-baller Colin Sylvia is admitted to Melbourne's Epworth hospital after experiencing severe pain due to a blood clot in his right toe following a loss to Carlton.

"This is a rare condition, and Colin's availability for this week's match against Collingwood will depend on his response to the treatment," Melbourne's general manager of football Chris Connolly said.

Melbourne is hopeful Colin Sylvia will recover from a broken jaw in time to play Collingwood.

"Col had a clean break, so it's been wired up and he'll return in about round two," Melbourne football operations manager Chris Connolly said of Sylvia.

"He stayed in hospital on Saturday night - he was operated first thing on Sunday - and was at our team meeting on Monday. We're hopeful for round two, but we'll just have to see how he goes with training."

The prognosis for injured forward Austin Wonaeamirri who has a hamstring injury is less certaini is less certain.

"He was having scans today (Monday), so we're not sure of the severity of the injury, but once that's worked out, we'll put the right programs in place and take a conservative approach with his injury," Connolly said.

Melbourne's Colin Sylvia says the self-doubt that plagued him in the early days of his career is now gone.

"I didn't think I could live up to the AFL expectations and standards," Sylvia said of his early years at the club.

"It's taken six years and hopefully I've still got a lot of footy ahead of me now. I'm genuinely excited as a whole for the football club, but individually as well - I've got a very strong belief that my best footy is in front of me."

Melbourne coach Dean Bailey says Colin Sylvia's suspension after striking Eagle Scott Selwood will have a big impact on the club.

"He's a player we're going to miss because he does kick goals and he does create some run through the middle of the ground which he's been really focused on this year, so ... it's disappointing it happened and we think playing the footy is more important than anything else," Bailey said.

"He's let us down, he's let the club down but I know that Col was really disappointed."

The match review panel offers Melbourne Colin Sylvia four weeks for striking Scott Selwood, Jared Brennan gets offered one-week for headbutting Josh Carr and Troy Chaplin two weeks for striking Daniel Rich.

Melbourne leadership group member Brad Green has urged teammate Colin Sylvia to use his best-on-ground 37-disposal and four-goal performance against Hawthorn as a launch pad for the rest of his career.

"Col's a kid who's been around for a long time," Green said.

"We needed him to show something this year - we see a lot of potential in him.

"But potential only lasts for so long, and we need him to start producing consistent performances. Hopefully that's the start of it.

"He was in everything. He was in the midfield, across half-forward and he kicked his goals, you can't ask for much more."

Melbourne coach Dean Bailey pleased with career-best display by Demon Colin Sylvia against the Hawks.

"Col played well, which was good. He had a three or four-minute burst there where he really played well, so it's good to see. Since I've been here, he's worked really hard on the track, so it's nice for him to get a bit of a reward," Bailey said post-match.

"His pre-season was good, and he showed signs in the last six or seven games last year and he's worked really hard off field."

Melbourne coach Dean Bailey says forward Colin Sylvia needs to live up to his promise.

"I like to think Colin might get on a bit of a roll from now on, regardless of the conditions on Sunday; and he's got a big body so conditions are not a concern for him to perform well," Bailey said.

"I think it's fair enough that Colin should really start to play the standard that I think most people are hoping he will. He's worked very hard, so he's under no illusions."

The Demons were thrilled with the second-term spark provided by Colin Sylvia on Sunday against Richmond when they notched their first win for season 2009.

"We started him in the middle and he usually plays forward, and he played a lot more through the midfield. I thought he was great yesterday," teammate Brent Moloney said of Sylvia.

"There's been a bit of pressure on him. He was a No.3 draft pick, but to see him play like he did yesterday is what we want.

"It was great to see."

Dean Bailey has warned Colin Sylvia, declaring players who can't conform to AFL behavioural standards risk having their careers curtailed.

Skipper James McDonald has backed embattled teammate Colin Sylvia, despite recent off-field indiscretions.

Melbourne bad boy Colin Sylvia has again been suspended by his peers for an off-field indiscretion.

Sylvia will miss the final practice game after breaking a curfew.

Colin Sylvia is fined $5,000 and suspended by Melbourne's leadership group from playing in round one after breaking a team curfew and missing a recovery session.

"This is disappointing for Colin and the playing group. It's unacceptable for Colin or any other player not to turn up for a recovery session as well as not abide by the players' curfew," Demons skipper David Neitz said.

"I believe the leadership group and entire player group have handled the situation responsibly."

The decision to suspend Sylvia is endorsed by Demons chairman Paul Gardner who says the club will benefit from its strict adherence to discipline.

"He didn't break the laws of the land or the laws of the competition. But he did break the laws of the club, so the club must punish him," Gardner said.

"The club is transparent and there will be no sweeping such matters under the carpet."

Melbourne captain David Neitz says there are not necessarily any glaring discipline issues at the club but that the club's policies had to be followed by all players.

"I don't think there are necessarily issues or problems, but we have set some stiff guidelines for players to meet and there are high expectations, but we play in an elite competition, so the expectations should be really high," Neitz said.